MRCPCH Clinical - updates

2012/1 MRCPCH Clinical Examination Results (UK)

Results for the above examination are now available for candidates to view via the secure section of this website.

Result letters
Result letters will be sent out over the next few days, together with copies of examination mark sheets for feedback. If your postal address has changed since you sat the exam please ensure you have notified us of the new details. Candidates are asked to wait until 13 April 2012 before requesting copies of result letters. No other information about results will be available until this date.

The Examinations Department of the RCPCH regret that they are not able to issue results in person, by fax, e-mail or telephone. All results queries should be made in writing.

MRCPCH Clinical rules and regulations 
The appeals deadline for the 2012/1 series of Clinical exams is Friday 27 April 2012.

Examinations Team

23 March 2012

MRCPCH Clinical - Relaxation of three attempt regulation

Urgent notice regarding the Trial Period of the Relaxation of Regulations Regarding the MRCPCH Clinical Examination three attempts 

The period of this trial began in October 2011 MRCPCH Clinical Examination and will now run to the June 2012 MRCPCH Clinical examination.  Data has been collected on the impact of this relaxation of the regulation over the two diets of the MRCPCH Clinical examinations (2011/3 & 2012/1).

All analysis collected during this time will be presented at the AGM in May 2012 where a decision will be taken on the future of the relaxation of the regulation.

Only candidates who applied for the MRCPCH 2011/3 and 2012/1 diet and those who are applying for 2012/2 of the UK or Overseas examination and have not gone back and attempted the MRCPCH Part 2 examination will be permitted to apply under this relaxation of the regulation.

If you have had three attempts at the MRCPCH Clinical and have attempted the MRCPCH Part 2 Examination you must still pass this examination before being allowed to sit the MRCPCH Clinical Examination again.

Examinations Team

12 March 2012  

Saturday 16  and Sunday 17

2012/2 India MRCPCH Clinical Examination update  

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health are pleased to announce that the MRCPCH Clinical Examination will be held in Mumbai, India on Saturday 16  and Sunday 17 June. Contact details for the host in Mumbai are:

Dr Santanu Sen
Department of Paediatrics, 2nd Floor
KokilabenDhirubhai Ambani Hospital
4 Bungalows
Andheri West
Mumbai - 400053
India

Tel: +91 22 3093 7266

Email: santanu.sen@relianceada.com

Accommodation for MRCPCH examination candidates would be available at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact Mr Mrunal Nagpure at admin.kh@relianceada.com to book rooms or contact Dr Santanu Sen for further details.

Exam fee: £1,097 sterling

Candidates should apply directly to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Please ensure your name and RCPCH number are written on the back of the cheque.

The application dates are:

Opening date for India Applications: Monday 19 March 2012

Closing date for India Applications: Monday 16 April 2012

For any queries regarding the MRCPCH Clinical Exam in India please email Jessica Hicksor Sandra Baines.

Overseas Application Form India (PDF, 106KB, 10 pages)

Examinations Team

05 March 2012  

MRCPCH Clinical Examination Information

Urgent notice regarding the Trial Period of the Relaxation of Regulations Regarding the MRCPCH Clinical Examination three attempts.

The existing examination regulations state ‘once candidates successfully complete MRCPCH Part 2 they are allowed up to three attempts at the MRCPCH Clinical.’ As part of a process reviewing MRCPCH rules and regulations, Examinations Executive has agreed to trial a temporary relaxation of the three-attempts regulation. The period of this trial will begin as of the October 2011 MRCPCH Clinical Examination and will run to the February 2012 MRCPCH Clinical examination.  Data will be collected on the impact of this relaxation of the regulation over the two diets of the MRCPCH Clinical examinations. This decision was agreed by Trainees Committee and approved by Council in July 2011.

All analysis collected during this time will be presented at the AGM in 2012 where a decision will be taken on the future of the relaxation of the regulation.

Only candidates applying for the MRCPCH 2011/3 and 2012/1 diet of the UK or Overseas examination and have not gone back and attempted the MRCPCH Part 2 examination will be permitted to apply under this relaxation of the regulation.

If you have had three attempts at the MRCPCH Clinical and have attempted the MRCPCH Part 2 Examination you must still pass this examination before being allowed to sit the MRCPCH Clinical Examination again.

Examinations Team

22 July 2011 - (Updated 11 Aug 2011)

Notice regarding the use of Electronic Stethoscopes in MRCPCH and DCH Clinical Examinations – Reasonable Adjustments Section of Application Forms

At July’s Exams Executive it has been decided that for the time being electronic stethoscopes should not be used in the MRCPCH or DCH Clinical examinations unless a candidate has a hearing impairment. Should a candidate have a hearing impairment they must declare this on your application form before the examination takes place and provide evidence of the condition with a medical report in the section named ‘reasonable adjustments’. Please ensure you provide as much information as possible.

Examinations Team

27 July 2011

Provisional Applications for MRCPCH Part 2 and Clinical examinations 

From July 2011 it will no longer be possible for candidates to submit a provisional application for the Clinical exam at the same time as applying for the Part 2 exam. All candidates wishing to apply for the Clinical exam from July 2011 will need to have received a confirmed pass in the Part 2 before sending in their Clinical application.

Those candidates applying to take the MRCPCH Part 2 exam on 28 September 2011 should not send in a provisional Clinical application Form D2 together with their Form C. Any D2 forms received will be securely destroyed. All future Clinical exam applications should be made using Form D.  

Important information for candidates - Musculoskeletal (MSK)/Other station

Following feedback from examiners, candidates are reminded that:

1. The MSK/Other station will include a spectrum of conditions and not always be Musculo-skeletal problems.
2. It is really important to listen to the introductory statement given by the examiner at the start of the station.
3. You are advised to approach the MSK/Other station as an outpatient setting with a problem being presented to you. For example, 'This mother has noticed a problem with her child's walking - please examine the child's legs.'
4. The pGALS (paediatric Gait, Arms, Legs, Spine) screen is an important clinical skill but performing pGALS 'by rote' is not the ideal way to approach an MSK case. If asked to examine a patient's legs, you should do as requested and focus on the relevant part(s); the pGALS screen is useful to identify MSK problems in other areas. It may not always be necessary to perform pGALS but knowledge about how pGALS may aid clinical practice is important.
5. To reach the standard expected of a new ST4 candidates need to demonstrate competence in MSK clinical assessment. This involves detailed regional examination of joints (based on the 'look, feel, move' approach) and also a screening examination (pGALS) to aid localisation of problems. The MSK clinical assessment needs to be focussed on the problem presented rather like other stations in the exam. The candidate needs to be able to discuss their findings, differential diagnosis and approach to management. The knowledge and skills required for MRCPCH are detailed in the RCPCH competency framework.

Details about pGALS and regional examination along with free educational resources are available from Arthritis Research UK.

Examinations Team